Think of some of the most used products today on mobile or desktop and you will find one thing they all have in common. Slack, Trello, Google Docs, Twitter, and Instagram – some of the most used services on mobile or desktop have web apps! What was earlier used for just commenting and hyperlinking type tasks, is now fully loaded with features such embedding and multi-user facility.

So, why do people prefer native apps? The simple answer to this is that they’re designed for specific platforms and thus have sufficient advantage over their counterpart and Web Apps cannot match the performance. But, the ever-evolving platform has new technology and hence the differentiating line is getting finer than ever!

Let’s explore the reasons behind this.

WebAssembly

With today’s super-fast computers, the things we do on web pages have evolved. But, they still cannot compete with the powerful native applications that can handle complex tasks. Video editing, gaming, 3D modeling, machine learning are some of the examples which take up a lot of CPU & GPU!

Here’s where WebAssembly comes into the picture. Unlike JavaScript which can translate the code before it reaches the CPU, WebAssembly code is essentially a pre-complied and sent over the net before it reaches the browser and it’s downloaded.

Advantages of WebAssembly

Less burden on the browser – leads to same processing speed as native apps.

No need to learn whole new language or coding. C and C++ languages can be compiled. This is the reason why it is so useful during web app development.

Accepted by Google, Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft and ships to all major browsers.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)

Touted as the next-big-thing, PWAs are now supported by Microsoft as well as Apple’s Safari and Google Chrome browser. So, what are Progressive Web Apps? In short, they are versions of Website but they look, feel and function close to how native applications work. Whenever you visit a website on your mobile browser and see an ‘Add to Home Screen’ button, that’s a PWA!

PWAs thus load a JavaScript or CSS at a much faster rate saves everything without forcing the user to download a native application. Twitter Lite is one fine example of a PWA which works and gives the user experience same as a native app but uses much less data. Business owners who do not have $50,000 to invest in an app can build a Progressive Web App!

Advantages of Progressive Web Apps

Ability to send Push Notifications without having to launch an app.

Better user experience than a traditional mobile optimized website.

Since the user is essentially searching on “Web” a PWA is more accessible through Analytics, SEO and other services from the back-end.